English Russia’s got a series of photos detailing how some of the largest vehicles on the planet, the 10m long, 8m high Tonka-styled mining trucks from Belarusian manufacturer Belaz, known in mining truck circles as “the Komatsu of the Balkans” (I made this up), get shipped from one place to another. The first stage is to break these things down into slightly smaller parts, though still obscenely huge. Cue comically oversized pieces of machinery in unusual positions, now:

The pieces are then transported by train, plane or flatbed truck to their destination, where they are reassembled, Transformers style, into the comically huge vehicles we all know and love/fear/resent for ruining our sense of scale. And the fun isn’t over, apparently: the 118,000kg trucks aren’t exactly morning people:

During the first start-up of an each car, engine makes such an awful noise that the human ear can barely stand it.

More heavy equipment porn at [English Russia]

In this video, a hapless Russian warehouse worker destroys about $US250,000 of precious, precious vodka in about three seconds (he escaped unscathed). Insert Yakov Smirnoff joke here. [English Russia via The Daily What]

The project is aimed at implementing large-scale space exploration programs, including a manned mission to Mars, interplanetary travel, the creation and operation of planetary outposts. The implementation of this project will allow us to reach a new technological level surpassing foreign developments.

It would only take nine years to fully develop at the tune of $US600 million, which is spare change compared to all the economy stimulus plans in place. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev—knowing that this will generate money and specialised jobs, and push Russia to a new scientific level—has backed the project and wants the government to pay for it.

Meanwhile, the Guys With the Right Stuff are seeing their projects scrapped, with Constellation about to get cancelled, and the shuttle getting killed. Godspeed America, godspeed. Let’s go to KFC and sink our hope in greasy chicken and cheap beer. [Yahoo via Universe Today]

If you saw this over your head, what would you think? Aliens have come to kick our asses? God has come to kick our asses? Apparently, the bizarre cloud formation seen in Moscow recently is just a natural phenomenon.

Talking to the Daily Mail, a spokesman from Moscow’s weather forecasting service said: “Several fronts have been passing through Moscow recently, there was an intrusion of the Arctic air too, the sun was shining from the west – this is how the effect was produced.

“This is purely an optical effect, although it does look impressive,” he added.

Ok, so it’s just clouds — but when you watch the video you still expect an alien ship to drop through that hole with lasers blazing. [Telegraph]

(That’s Nikolai Sutyagin from Arkhangelsk in Russia’s north-east).

But I digress. The Norwegian Barents Secretariat office and cultural tower will be built with natural and recycled materials from the surrounding area. The designers, Oslo-based Reiulf Ramstad Architects, are focusing on sustainable building and carbon neutrality.

They also hope to reuse biodegradable household and industrial waste to produce biogas. Mmm. Like fresh pine cones!

[Barents Observer via Inhabitat]

The retro-futuristic, glass-encased structure is actually a parking garage in Moscow, for regular, non-flying cars. This little piece of urban engineering takes up a mere 100 square meters, in which it can cram between 22 and 54 cars, depending on how many floors it’s configured with—this one holds 34. The incredibly ornate rotating elevator mechanism is best explained in pictures.

There is definitely a Yakov Smirnoff joke in here somewhere, but I’m slightly too tired, and slightly too proud, to find it. [Zyalt via English Russia]

According to the Belarusian official who announced the program:

According to the Russian National Committee for Protection Against Ionizing Radiation, in children who use mobile phones, should expect a weakening of memory, decline of attention, irritability, sleep violation, reducing the critical alert.

[Tut.By (translated) via Foreign Policy via BoingBoing]

Like the ones in this page, it is a snowblower. Or better said, a snow melter. The ones above use Klimov VK-1 engines from Mig-15 planes. The one from Tuesday could have been the engine from a Mig-17. They also use these to melt ice on other planes engines—while waiting on the cold Russian airport runways—and train tracks, as you can see in the gallery (in that case, they used half the plane).

Crazy Ivans. You gotta love those guys. Except when they send their Akula-class nuclear subs to patrol around New York. [Dark Roasted Blend]

Apparently, some crazy vodka-addicted Russian engineers/mechanics/crazy Ivans decided that putting together a Soviet-era truck, a gas tank, a top cockpit, and a jet turbine was something useful. Or funny. Or both. What the frak does this thing really do? What is its purpose? Apparently nobody knows. And, most probably, we will never know.

I guess I’d have to hunt this one down, and press the big red button. [Dark Roasted Blend]